Lack of PCIe bandwidth can nerf RTX 5090 by up to 25% in content creation workloads — Puget data confirms performance hit when using older generations and fewer lanes Tom’s Hardware
NVIDIA RTX 5090 Loses Over 25% Performance Without Full PCIe Bandwidth, With Noticeable Losses in Rendering Workloads Wccftech
BERLIN — There was something for everyone at this season’s four-day iteration of Berlin Fashion Week, which ended last Thursday.
The offerings included ingenious ideas by recent graduates in specially curated shows; slick, smart presentations by homegrown talent like GmbH and Richert Beil, and the commercial savvy from the likes of Blumarine creative director David Koma, who showed his eponymous menswear line for the first time in Berlin, Berlin-based brand Ottolinger, who had musician Kim Petras modeling and designer Stefano Pilati sitting in the front row, and German designer Johannes Boehl Cronau, with his brand Ioannes fresh off a collaboration with Kylie Jenner.
In between there were art projects, pop-up stores, studio openings and parties, including one at Berlin’s legendary sex club, Kit Kat. Venues ran the gamut from midcentury-modern convention centers to historic breweries, sweaty underground bunkers, sex clubs, construction sites and some of the German capital’s vaunted galleries and charming castles.
There was also politics in the form of talks on the future of fashion and sustainability, 58 seconds of silence observed at the GmbH show in memory of all those killed in Gaza, and a show by Kampala, Uganda-based label Buzigahill, focused on upcycling discarded garments and what it called “textile colonialism.”
Buzigahill designer Bobby Kolade went to design school in Berlin and worked at Balenciaga and Maison Margiela before returning to Uganda, where he began to “return to sender” by upcycling discarded clothing that had been sent to Africa from Europe.
Andreas Hofrichter
It’s true that Berlin isn’t seen as particularly relevant on the international fashion media and buyers’ circuit. Audiences at Berlin shows have tended toward enthusiastic influencers, brand fans and excitable fashion students. But this season it was clear the professional, international contingent was growing, with the event counting around 60 international visitors.
“There’s much more of a feeling that this is an international showcase, that this is serious business,” said Stavros Karelis, the founder and buying director for London concept store Machine-A, who was in Berlin for the third time. “There’s more and more talent coming and clever selections being made,” he told WWD at the end of the week. “From an international perspective, the shows started in early June — so it’s been a month of travel so far — so for somebody to add this [Berlin] as the last part of their trip, that means they’ve found something to see here.”
“Berlin Fashion Week is doing a wonderful job of establishing itself on the global circuit,” agreed Chloe King, director of fashion and lifestyle for Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus, who was at the event for the first time.
“Opportunities to encounter truly unique emerging brands are quite limited,” Shihoko Okuda, a buyer for the Isetan Shinjuku womenswear department in Japan, focused on international creators, told WWD. “Paris Fashion Week is outstanding but since it is already a well-established field, we were seeking something more unique so we can bring freshness to our market.”
Speaking after the event, Okuda said her first visit to Berlin was a success. “Unlike a typical fashion week, it offered a presentation style that fused fashion with Berlin’s unique cultural context. … this allowed us to discover fresh and creative new perspectives,” she noted.
“Berlin is definitely starting to compete with Copenhagen [fashion week],” one international visitor told WWD; as a regular visitor to Copenhagen, which is often described as the “fifth fashion capital” after Paris, Milan, London and New York, they asked to remain anonymous in order to speak freely. “Personally Berlin is much more my style. Copenhagen can be a little boring sometimes.”
The event is “getting bigger and more exciting,” agreed Milan-based artistic director and former Bottega Veneta creative Edward Buchanan; Buchanan spoke about fashion’s future at the week’s “Metamorphosis” series of talks and also modeled for Buzigahill. “I like the independence of the designers here. I just like being here and seeing how artists here in this niche are working and surviving.”
It’s true that for many of the designers showing in Berlin, outright commerciality still seems lower down on their list of motivations. But that more freewheeling, artistic bent could well be part of Berlin’s growing attraction.
Doubtless the fact that the Berlin city senate supports fashion week to the tune of around 4 million euros ($4.7 million) annually helps support those attitudes. Designers selected to participate in the Berlin Contemporary section can get up to 25,000 euros to help fund a runway show as well as easier access to venues.
A group exhibition, the Berliner Salon, was held inside the Helmut Newton Foundation.
Getty Images for Der Berliner Salon
“Maybe there’s not as much business done here but Berlin is a playground for artists,” explained designer Esther Perbandt, who showed exquisitely crafted clothing in her signature black at an installation in central Berlin. “And that’s so nice. Berlin is part of my inspiration too,” said the designer, who rose to international prominence after coming second on the reality show “Making the Cut” in 2020. Around 60 percent of her customers are still from the U.S., she said, adding she eventually hopes to collaborate with a retailer in New York or Los Angeles who will understand her less commercial outlook.
“I just feel so relaxed here,” Georgia-born, London-based designer Koma explained after the first showing of his menswear collection in a Berlin trade fair center, the Palais am Funkturm. Koma’s show was part of a series called “Intervention,” organized by Berlin-based agency Reference Studios. “Because this was so personal to me, I wanted to go somewhere I could feel really good,” Koma said. “I actually asked my commercial team to give me the space to do this.”
A glittering thread ran through Koma’s distinctly preppy looks. Inspired by a love of “David” — that’s Michelangelo, Beckham in his paparazzi era, and himself — the clothes weren’t wildly challenging for well-dressed men to wear. But the use of glittering appliqué flowers, satiny fabrics and Lurex pinstripe suiting gave the smart-casual a subtly flamboyant edge.
Designers of GmbH, Benjamin Huseby and Serhat Isik, were showing in Berlin for the third time after multiple outings in Paris.
“Berlin is our home,” Huseby explained. “It still fuels our creativity.”
GmbH’s new men’s collection again riffed on sportswear, including a more formal, very wearable take on satin boxing shorts, and also referred to the designers’ familial roots, with embroidered slogans like “Mashallah” (which means something along the lines of “beautiful, as God willed it,” in Arabic). But the most sublime aspects of their work were found in the designers’ light touch and playful creativity with menswear staples. Models came down two opposing, curved staircases at the Palais am Funkturm. But it was only when they went past that you saw a sleek shirt transform into a sheer, diaphanous capelet and a slim formal jacket tie elegant knots at its back.
“It’s necessary to be here to represent, to create a space for our community,” Isik added, when asked why the label was still showing in Berlin and not back in Paris. “Especially in this political climate,” he said, referring to the German government’s much criticized repression of protests around Palestinian rights in the country.
Despite the show in Berlin, GmbH still does most of its sales in Paris, the pair said. They had a showroom in Paris during men’s fashion week there.
The Ioannes show was held at the Orangerie, a part of Berlin’s Charlottenburg Palace.
inesbahr
For designer Kasia Kucharska, it was the opposite. Standing in a central city exhibition space, as her gold and pale yellow dress and colorful clutch bags made completely out of the signature “latex lace” she and her team invented, drew cameras and interest, she said a lot of her buyers had actually been in Berlin this time.
“I was quite surprised,” she said. “Usually they only travel to Paris but this time, we got emails asking where they could meet us in Berlin.”
Meanwhile, Berlin brand Richert Beil remains focused on making a living at home and chose a smaller venue and smaller guest list this season. “We see ourselves very much as a niche brand,” Jale Richert said. “But hopefully a successful one,” she added, laughing.
Designers Richert and Michele Beil hosted a smaller salon show in what will be their new store and studio in a former 135-year-old pharmacy. Their wares — with a mix of dark humor, handcrafted latex, bondage kink, genderless flavor and on-trend Y2K stylings — could be described as the most quintessentially “Berlin” brand of all those at the event.
By the end of Berlin Fashion Week, it was clear there are still improvements that could be made. Almost every show was delayed (and due to locations spread around the city, this meant missing out on other important shows). Some designers also seemed to think they were opening a nightclub, not putting on a runway show.
“We have lots of homework to do,” Mumi Haiati, founder of Reference Studios, confirmed. “And there’s always the question of how to make it economically relevant. Berlin is building image and buzz, which is a great starting point.” But Haiati can imagine including more direct-to-consumer events in the future. He’d also like to see the largest German brands, like Adidas or Hugo Boss, getting involved somehow.
Isetan buyer Okuda would like to see the focus on business turned up. “From a buyer’s perspective, while many brands showcased impressive creativity, I feel there’s still room for improvement when it comes to the business side,” she argued. The creativity and culture are there, she said. Now Berlin designers need to start thinking more about things like product balance and production infrastructure, Okuda concluded.
Buyers’ Picks
Stavros Karelis, Machine-A: So many highlights but off the top of my head, GmbH, Marke, Sia Arnika, Richert Beil, Buzigahill, Ioannes. The biggest highlight might have been the “Berlin Curated” show though. The industry is going through tough times and a lot of people here were asking, “what’s important about fashion? What should we be doing now?” That show was a great answer. Recent fashion school graduates doing really incredible work, with craftsmanship and design skills and cultural connection — all things the industry is looking for.
Chloe King, Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus: One of the headlines of the week was Ottolinger, who showed a late-night resort collection in between its Paris outings. The brand’s signature sporty-undone-nonchalance looked cooler than ever — especially that rubber goo-dipped bowler bag. Additional highlights include Marke, GmbH, Richert Beil and SF10G. It was also quite special to see Nigeria’s Orange Culture on the schedule… a voluminous black jacquard suit with raffia hat and tie was one of my favorite looks of the week.
Shihoko Okuda, Isetan Shinjuku: Many brands had concepts deeply rooted in culture, showcasing a strong sense of individuality. The collections of Richert Beil, Balletshofer, and Milk of Lime were highly polished, and these brands left a particularly strong impression.
The owners of a pet lion that escaped from a farmhouse and injured a woman and her two children in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore have been arrested, authorities said on Sunday.
The arrest came after dramatic video footage emerged showing the lion leaping over a wall and attacking the victims in a residential area.
Faisal Kamran, a police official, said the woman and her five- and seven-year-old children sustained injuries to their faces and arms on Wednesday night when the lion escaped from its cage.
The lion chases the woman and children. Photograph: Twitter/X
According to a police report, the children’s father said the lion’s owners had stood by and watched as the animal clawed at his family, making no effort to restrain it. The lion later returned to the owners’ farmhouse and was relocated to a wildlife park, police said.
Keeping exotic animals such as lions is considered a status symbol by some wealthy Pakistanis, despite the legal requirements and high fees associated with ownership.
In Turkey, a lion that escaped from a theme park near the resort of Antalya was shot dead on Sunday after attacking a man, the local governor and media reports said.
The lion, reportedly named Zeus, escaped his enclosure at the Land of Lions animal theme park in Manavgat, about 40 miles (65km) east of Antalya, in the early hours of the morning, the governor said.
According to the BirGün newspaper, the lion attacked an agricultural worker called Suleiman Kir who was asleep in a pistachio field with his wife. Kir tussled with the lion before it ran off. He was injured but not badly and was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
“We were covered with blankets to protect ourselves from mosquitoes and when the prayer call sounded, I tried to stand up but I couldn’t,” he told the newspaper. “Suddenly I felt something touch my left foot and when I eventually managed to get up, I saw it was something huge – I thought it was a dog.”
In a video posted online, he described the moments wrestling with the lion. “We called for help but there was no one around. As the lion was biting my calf and my neck, I grabbed him around the neck and began to squeeze and he backed off. At that moment, the security forces came,” he said. “If I had not been strong, I wouldn’t be here right now.”
Antalya’s governor said the lion had been tracked down and shot dead. “It was not possible to catch the escaped lion alive because it posed a danger to people and the environment, so it was shot,” he said.
He indicated that an investigation had been opened into the incident. BirGün said there were about 30 big cats at the Land of Lions.
When it comes to Apple’s biggest films, “F1: The Movie” has officially moved to pole position.
“F1” has generated $293 million at the global box office after 10 days of release, overtaking the entire theatrical runs of Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” ($158 million worldwide) and Ridley Scott’s “Napoleon” ($221 million) to stand as Apple’s highest-grossing movie to date. That’s not a particularly difficult benchmark to break, since Apple has only released five films theatrically and two of them, “Fly Me to the Moon” ($42 million) and “Argylle” ($96 million), were outright flops.
Yet the ticket sales for “F1” are at least a step in the right direction for the fledgling studio’s theatrical ambitions. After Apple siphoned off a string of commercial misfires (with budgets at or above $200 million, neither “Killers of the Flower Moon” nor “Napoleon” were in danger of turning a theatrical profit), “F1” was considered an inflection point for the tech giant. There was a growing internal sense that if a crowd-pleaser like “F1” didn’t work on the big screen, Apple would be better off abandoning the movie business in favor of television. After all, the company has fielded plenty of small screen successes on AppleTV+ including “Severance” and “Ted Lasso.”
Apple’s future film strategy won’t hinge solely on the success of “F1.” And more importantly, the racing drama isn’t close to climbing out of the red. “F1” cost more than $250 million to produce and roughly $100 million more to market, which means the tentpole will require multiple laps around the track to justify its massive price tag. But these ticket sales, which are encouraging for any adult-skewing original film, at least give Apple a reason to stay the course. Oh yeah, it also helps that Apple has a $3 trillion market cap and doesn’t face the same financial pressure of traditional studios.
Directed by Joseph Kosinski (“Top Gun: Maverick”), “F1” stars Brad Pitt as a has-been Formula One driver who emerges from retirement to coach a rookie driver and save a failing team. The film landed in theaters in late June with $57 million domestically and $146 million worldwide, easily handing Apple its biggest opening weekend to date. Positive word-of-mouth should contribute to the movie’s staying power, even as “F1” endures strong headwinds from “Jurassic World Rebirth” and upcoming blockbuster hopefuls like “Superman” and “Fantastic Four: The First Steps.” Outside of the United States and Canada, where “F1” has revved to $109.5 million, top-earning territories include China ($22 million), the United Kingdom ($17.3 million), Mexico ($12.3 million), France ($11.5 million) and Australia ($9.8 million).
Because the movie was filmed with immersive Imax cameras as the filmmaking team circumnavigated the real Formula 1 global circuit, “F1” has been a huge draw on premium large format screens. So far, Imax alone has fueled $60 million globally, accounting for 20.4% of the film’s worldwide total.
In a chilled lab where temperatures drop close to absolute zero, a speck of magnet hovers in place. This tiny magnet, levitating silently inside a special trap, may hold answers to one of the greatest mysteries in science—dark matter. While no direct signals appeared in this first search, the experiment marks a bold step into a new frontier of physics.
A New Way to Hunt the Invisible
Dark matter doesn’t emit, absorb, or reflect light. You can’t see it, but scientists believe it makes up most of the universe’s mass. Without it, galaxies would spin apart. Yet, after decades of searching, no one has directly detected it.
Now, researchers are turning to an unusual and delicate tool—a magnetically levitated particle. A new experiment led by scientists from Rice University has launched the first search for ultralight dark matter using this technique. The study focuses on a form of dark matter that behaves more like a soft background wave than a single particle.
Christopher Tunnell is an associate professor of physics and astronomy at Rice and Postdoctoral researcher Dorian Amaral. (CREDIT: Jeff Fitlow)
Ultralight dark matter, if it exists, might flow through Earth like a ripple in space. These ripples could tug very gently on certain types of matter. But this force would be incredibly small—so faint that only ultra-sensitive equipment could spot it.
That’s why the team suspended a microscopic magnet inside a cold, superconducting trap. The magnet floated in midair, completely untouched by friction or heat. By creating such a quiet space, the magnet could wiggle if nudged by these ghostly dark matter waves.
“Our approach brings dark matter detection into a new realm,” said physicist Christopher Tunnell, one of the study leaders. “By suspending a tiny magnet in a frictionless environment, we’re giving it the freedom to move if something nudges it.”
Listening for the Quietest Whispers
The experiment used a neodymium magnet less than a millimeter wide. This small piece was placed in a trap cooled to near -459.67°F. That’s almost as cold as anything can get. The setup reduced noise so much that it could detect movements smaller than the size of a single hydrogen atom.
The researchers watched closely, searching for a signal at a specific frequency—26.7 cycles per second. That’s the rate at which ultralight dark matter in a certain mass range would likely cause oscillations, or tiny repeated movements. Despite the incredible precision, they found no signal.
Still, this result helps. It sets a new limit on how dark matter can interact with regular matter. The study focused on interactions based on a property in particle physics known as “B minus L.” This stands for the difference between the number of baryons (like protons and neutrons) and leptons (like electrons). These numbers often stay constant during particle reactions.
The experiment is designed to probe areas of the theoretical landscape that current detectors have not explored. (CREDIT: Rice University)
In this study, the scientists searched for forces that would act differently depending on these numbers. By not finding any effect, they were able to narrow the possible strength of such dark matter interactions. They ruled out a coupling strength higher than 2.98 × 10⁻²¹, which is among the strictest limits ever set in this area.
“Every time we don’t find dark matter, we refine the map,” said Tunnell. “It is like searching for a lost key in your house—when you do not find it in one place, you know to look elsewhere.”
A Dance, a Protest, and a New Path Forward
The idea for this novel experiment began in an unexpected place: a climate protest. Two physicists met there, talked about their ideas, and even danced a traditional dance known as the polonaise. That moment sparked the name for their next project—POLONAISE.
Schematic of the experimental setup inside the dilution refrigerator. (CREDIT: Tunnell, et al.)
This next-generation experiment will improve on the current design in several ways. It will use heavier magnets, which respond more to force. The team also plans to boost the stability of the levitation and scan a wider range of frequencies. That means they’ll be able to look for more types of dark matter than before.
“Our future setup won’t just listen more closely, it’ll be tuned to hear things we’ve never even tried listening for,” said Tunnell. Dorian Amaral, the study’s lead author, helped lay the theoretical foundation for the measurement. He worked closely with other physicists to design this bold test.
“We’re not just testing a theory, we’re laying the groundwork for an entire class of measurements,” said Amaral. “Magnetic levitation gives us a fundamentally new tool to ask the universe big questions.”
This setup isn’t only useful for dark matter. It’s sensitive enough to detect forces as small as 0.2 femtonewtons per square root of hertz. That’s comparable to the weight of a single virus. Reaching this level of sensitivity opens the door to many kinds of future discoveries in physics.
The force-power spectral density. (CREDIT: Tunnell, et al.)
What Comes Next?
The team hopes to improve their system over time. Short-term upgrades will help smooth the levitation and reduce noise. In the medium term, they’ll add better sensors and stronger magnetic materials. In the long run, the final version of POLONAISE could lead the world in dark matter sensitivity across a wide mass range.
Even though this first attempt didn’t spot dark matter, the value of the experiment goes far beyond a single result. The setup proves that magnetic levitation in a superconducting trap works as a quantum sensor. And that opens up new paths in physics, many of which scientists haven’t yet explored.
The research team worked with scientists from multiple universities and received support from the National Science Foundation. Together, they built something not just cutting-edge—but potentially revolutionary.
Each new search like this one brings the world a little closer to understanding the unseen matter that shapes the universe. Whether or not it was found this time, the dark remains a little less mysterious now.
Captain Joe Clarke thrashed a fourth half-century of this season’s Vitality Blast before 17-year-old Farhan Ahmed helped Notts Outlaws seal a thrilling one-wicket derby-day win over Leicestershire Foxes at Trent Bridge.
With two runs needed in pursuit of 189 and nine wickets down, last man Ahmed dug out a Logan van Beek yorker and scampered a nerve-shredding two to give Notts their first-ever one-wicket win in T20 cricket.
To add to the drama, Ahmed was short of the crease when coming back for two as Tom Scriven’s throw arrived, only for wicketkeeper Ben Cox to drop the ball and allow Ahmed in.
Clarke had earlier set up the chase by hammering 50 in 24 balls inside the powerplay, including eight boundaries, while Tom Moores’ innings of 42 came off 30 and contained six boundaries.
Within the Foxes’ innings, Calvin Harrison and Daniel Sams claimed the wickets of Sol Budinger and Rishi Patel, respectively, as they posted 188-2 after winning the toss.
However, their score proved narrowly not enough, as the Outlaws powered through tricky conditions before sensationally holding their nerve to seal victory with one ball to spare.
Having initially enjoyed a confident start in restricting the visitors to 18 from the first three overs, the Outlaws were forced to fight their way back into the contest.
Patel and Budinger remained unbeaten through the first half of the innings, posting their century partnership in 62 balls, before Harrison produced the breakthrough.
Finding some turn to beat the bat, Harrison teamed up effectively with Moores, whose rapid wrists behind the stumps saw Patel stumped for a 34-ball 51.
Moments later, one brought two as Sams then struck to see off Budinger for 56, splattering the opener’s furniture to end a 45-ball knock and throwing in a roar of delight in celebration.
That was as far as the hosts got in the wickets column, as Sams finished with 1/34 and Harrison collected 1/37, but the run rate did remain consistent as the Outlaws battled hard with the ball.
Ultimately, the Foxes were kept below 200 as Pakistan batter Shan Masood struck 40 not out and Rehan Ahmed added a further unbeaten 30.
In response, Clarke slammed another half-century at the top of the order to kickstart the Outlaws chase and see them to 62-2 after six overs.
Spinners Liam Trevaskis and Louis Kimber put the brakes on somewhat following the end of the powerplay to drag the visitors back into the contest, with the Outlaws requiring another 112 to win from the final ten overs.
However, Moores and some crucially colossal hitting from Daniel Sams, who added 33 from just 12 balls, put the chase back on track as the latter stages approached.
The duo shared in a stand worth 54 from just 24 balls for the fifth wicket as, at one point, 51 runs came off just 18 balls, meaning that with four overs to go, the Outlaws required 34 more.
Regular wickets stretched out the drama even as Moores hammered van Beek for back-to-back sixes to start the 18th over of the innings, before his wicket ramped up the nerves.
Dillon Pennington and Liam Patterson-White added a priceless further four runs for the ninth wicket across the first three balls of the final over to take the Outlaws to within two.
However, the tension then reached white-knuckle levels once more as the latter fell to a Sam Wood catch off van Beek, leaving the equation at two off two.
The prodigious Ahmed, though, once again displayed skill and maturity beyond his years to partner Pennington in seeing the Outlaws over the line in the most dramatic of circumstances.
*******
The Outlaws are back in action on Friday 11 July, as Durham visit Trent Bridge (6.30pm) as part of a Vitality Blast double-header. Secure your seats here…
An update to Android 16 can cause issues with some glucose monitors (Image source: Abott)
Connection issues with Bluetooth devices or missing notifications are often just minor inconveniences. However, these can also lead to serious health problems for certain users, such as diabetics who are using a blood sugar monitor.
A new Android version usually brings more or less significant visual changes to smartphones. Sometimes, and this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, there are various less noticeable changes deep within the operating system that users typically don’t notice. For a considerable number of users, smartphones aren’t just communication and entertainment devices, but also a hub for medical devices. Specifically, we’re talking about continuous glucose monitors (CGMs), particularly Abbott’s FreeStyle series, including the FreeStyle Libre 3 and Libre 3 Plus. After the recent release of Android 16, there’s new uncertainty as users report several issues. Abbott itself states that its smartphone app is not yet compatible with Android 16, at least officially.
This warning doesn’t seem to be baseless or overly cautious. There are various user reports of problems, but also some positive feedback. For instance, one user reports that since the update, the app on their Google Pixel 7 has been using a lot of battery and drastically decreased the phone’s standby time. Additionally, there are reports of connection drops that couldn’t be resolved by reinstalling the app. One user mentions connection drops and sensor shutdowns, which can also turn into a financial issue. Similar reports exist for Dexcom products, such as insulin pumps that can be paired with said blood sugar monitors. Interrupted connections, especially to glucose sensors, can potentially pose a health hazard if an unnoticed drop in blood sugar levels occurs. We reported on a similar issue back in 2023.
I have been active as a journalist for over 10 years, most of it in the field of technology. I worked for Tom’s Hardware and ComputerBase, among others, and have been working for Notebookcheck since 2017. My current focus is particularly on mini PCs and single-board computers such as the Raspberry Pi – so in other words, compact systems with a lot of potential. In addition, I have a soft spot for all kinds of wearables, especially smartwatches. My main profession is as a laboratory engineer, which is why neither scientific contexts nor the interpretation of complex measurements are foreign to me.
Translator: Enrico Frahn – Managing Editor Accessory Reviews, Tech Writer – 4821 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2021
My fascination for technology goes back a long way to the Pentium II era. Modding, overclocking and treasuring computer hardware has since become an integral part of my life. As a student, I further developed a keen interest in mobile technologies that can make the stressful college life so much easier. After I fell in love with the creation of digital content while working in a marketing position, I now scour the web to bring you the most exciting topics in the world of tech. Outside the office, I’m particularly passionate about motorsports and mountain biking.
Tennis players often say it’s hard to play against a friend, the killer instinct never quite as easy to call on as it might be against someone else. Aryna Sabalenka, the world No 1, has rarely had that problem, but she was pushed hard by her former doubles partner Elise Mertens before winning through 6-4, 7-6 (4) to reach the quarter-finals.
Mertens had won just two sets in their past nine matches but played as good a match as she has ever done at Wimbledon, and still came out on the wrong side. Sabalenka hit 36 winners and made just 18 unforced errors, coming from 3-1 down in the second set to set up a quarter-final against Laura Siegemund of Germany.
“It’s tough to play against someone you know quite close,” Sabalenka said. “She’s a great player, great person. It’s tricky facing her. I know how smart she is, I know she’s going to fight til the very end and she will be trying to find something. She really challenged me today, I’m super happy with the win.”
This is the only grand slam event in which Sabalenka has yet to make the final, but the Belarusian said her belief was growing. “I always dreamed of winning it. Every time on this court, I’m trying to give my best tennis, trying to fight for every point and really hope for the best.”
Challenged by Emma Raducanu in the previous round, Sabalenka broke in the fourth game on her way to a 4-1 lead. But Mertens, returning sharply and using her forehand slice when out of position to make life awkward for Sabalenka, hit back and levelled at 4-4. But every time it seems as if Sabalenka is on the back foot, she takes back control. A good hold of serve put her in front again and she ripped a backhand winner to take the set.
Aryna Sabalenka waves to the crowd after her victory against Elise Mertens. Photograph: Visionhaus/Getty Images
Mertens continued to play with poise, mixing nice touch with crisp groundstrokes and good serving and the Belgian claimed a 3-1 lead in the second set. Again Sabalenka dug deep, breaking back for 3-3 and taking command of the tie-break to win it 7-4 and take her place in the last eight.
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Siegemund reached the quarter-finals here for the first time, following up her win over Madison Keys in the previous round with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Solana Sierra, the lucky loser from Argentina who took out Katie Boulter in round two.
